Interview with the Vampire: He-Devil

To Jerico...RIP


In my moments of boredom at the Cenlec, my brain wanders away to either daydream or observe people, using my peripheral vision.  Yes, I am really good at this. I notice neckline hairs, teeth,  ankles, you name it... different parts depending on the subject.  

Of course, who wouldn't miss the youngish MISO guys, always on guard for tech problems.  One  guy in a lavender shirt managed to hide behind me despite his height,  the other guy must be somewhere in the hallway (as I've crossed paths with him there a few times in my mam-may-i-go-out-moments), and the third guy looked like a  snobbish Vietnamese. 

The third guy was at the right place and the right time. He must be Jerico whom a  colleague of mine described to have  perfect grammar.  From my seat, I couldn't help but notice his pair of neat looking  leather shoes, enough to snap me out of my boredom. Like wow, much neater than mine. He must be really single to afford such a pair or perhaps, his mom loves him so.  

When I asked around, I learned that Jerico is the youngest among the MISO staff and maybe even the youngest faculty member at UPOU.  Check out his Google Apps site and find out why I took an interest in him.

Here,  Jerico has a funny story to tell, with his perfect grammar and wit. (i just don't know if he's wearing his pair of black shoes while doing this over email).

1. How did you end up working here at UPOU?

Well, it's a long story. Back in my college days (2000-2004), I had developed good connections with the faculty of the College of Devcom (UPLB), so the Dean became my first boss. In one of her projects, Mam Jean Saludadez was one of project team members. After I finished the project, Mam Jean took me as a graduate assistant since I just enrolled in UPOU.

Enrolling in UPOU was another story though. I enrolled for the degree. Most of what the program taught I already knew, so it was just a matter of finishing it. I wanted to go to Australian Nat'l Univ. and take their MS Comsci program kasi. The prerequisite was a BS or diploma in comsci. So DCS would fit the bill.

Anyway, back to UPOU. After 9 months of being a GA, the MISO head (Franjel) took me as an IT Researcher. I worked on that for six months as an NGW (Non-govt worker: may tax deduction but walang benefits whatsoever). Then when a casual position for an ISR III opened up in March 2007, I applied for it. That's my current job.

2. why would a young person choose to get tied down to government work...?

It's not really the prospect of being in the government that drew me here. Actually, I wanted to go to the private sector. But given the choice to take the lead in how one programs vs. the huge salaries, high profiles and the probability to get trained in foreign countries, I'd go for the former.

The fresh air of Los Baños, the proximity of the office and lower overall living costs are merely perks.

But for most, it's for the experience. Using the government as a stepping stone to develop skills is pretty common for programmers who want to be in the private sector sometime in their life.

3. Tell me more about your work here in MISO.  When I see MISO, I just equate it w/ Moodles.

Wow! Finally, someone asked. Most people just think we sit beside the phone all day, waiting for "help" calls.

Anyway, my main job is to develop web applications -- websites and similar scripts that you open in a browser. Google Apps and the Online Bookstore were some of my pet projects that went into production. It's not the physical appearance I work on though; it's the scripts running in the background. This consumes most of my time and is the hardest thing to do. Programming is basically telling something that isn't very smart what to do.

Another thing I'm expected to do is build servers -- web servers, databases, mail servers, etc. After I've built them, I have to maintain them -- regular updates, security audits. That sort of stuff. Unfortunately, these are things I can't learn in the classroom. I have my own "consultants" for this.

Still, I have more to do. I also keep the network at headquarters up. There's a cabling room near the Accounting Office that looks like two small refrigerators with 5000 snakes crawling around. They're cables for Internet, telephone and power. Seeing it for the first time is overwhelming. 

Of course, I'm also teaching this semester. CMSC D (Data Structures and Algorithms) and CMSC I (Software Engineering).

Finally, yes, we do have to answer the phone. From the basic "I lost my Internet connection" to the personal "Can you help me with my wireless home network?" to the odd "Do you know how much it costs to place a call to the Michigan?"

Well, that's a normal day at the office.

4. what's the dirtiest job you've done for UPOU? (I've cleaned toilets and scrubbed floors, slept overnight in my work places before, literally crossed the seas with a storm right behind me...it's even unpaid work!!!  like what's a "dirty job" in a MISO/ IT workplace like)

Well, the closest thing to that is I had to mop the cabling room during an aircon accident. It was Monday and most of the staff were not in the office. But that wasn't the dirty part. I had to squeeze out the water from the mop, which kind of looked like a corpse that caught fire and you put it out with an old t-shirt. With gloves it was already disgusting. I wonder what I'd call it if I wasn't able to find gloves.

The worst, although not really dirty, job experience I had here was when I was still an IT Researcher...

It was during some conference back in February 2007. It was a three-day event. The first would be spent at HQ, then the next two days at Trader's Hotel.

The first day (Thursday), was a regular day for me, with some AV Room duties (setup the microphones and sound system). At the end of the day, I was informed that we still had to set up a computer network at Trader's Hotel. It was already 5pm, so I was like "WTF?"

Anyway, I thought "Okay, maybe I'll just have to put a switch, hook up the wires, then I can go home." I was so wrong.

We got to the hotel around 7:00 pm. Believe it or not, we didn't have dinner. It was every man for himself. Luckily, the drivers found a small carinderia at the back and we had the only thing on the menu: tortang talong.

After dinner, I was anxious to set everything up. It was still early, so I thought that after hooking up everything, I'd stop by Starbucks and grab an iced mocha drink before heading to the bus station. (The drivers looked like they'd be going home really late so I thought that I'd just reimburse my expenses).

However, the night was just getting started. They informed us that we needed to go to UP Diliman and get 15 (yes 15!) computers. To make it short, we were really annoyed and I slept all the way to NCC. When we got there, we grabbed the computers and loaded them in the vehicles.

So we went back to Trader's Hotel. It was around 10pm. When I got there, one of MC's computers had a problem. It couldn't pick up any audio. Judith (MC staff) and I had to pay up a ridiculous 55 pesos from our own pockets for a measly 10 minutes of Internet access just to get the device driver from the manufacturer's website. Whatever. I was already in a foul mood and in such times, I really couldn't care any less.

So that was fixed. Then it took me about 10 minutes to hook up the 4 computers for public display. The other guys who helped carry all those 15 computers from NCC were outraged at the decision to put up only 4. As for me, I didn't care. I just wanted to go home. I was deprived of my iced mocha drink and every minute I spent there shaved time off my sleeping pattern.

My mood lifted when Franjel had his backpack on (that meant we had a ride), so I got ready as well. While scratching at an itch on my right cheek though, they surprised me with a horrified look. It was late, I was tired, so maybe that's why I didn't feel anything. My hand was bleeding profusely. It had gotten cut from the side of a computer case.

Oh well, at least there's a sink here. On my way to the washroom though, I met a security guard who gave me a look that said "I wonder who this bastard stabbed..." Anyway, I washed my wound and returned to the lobby. 

Before leaving, one thing I remember was Mam Vicky telling us she felt sorry that while we had to do all the work (everyone else was just chattering and sitting comfy-comfy in the lounge), we still had to go home and return early the next day. Those who really didn't have to work were the ones given hotel rooms. Anyway, we finally got on the vehicle that would take us back to Los Banos. No iced mocha for me. It was 1:30am by the time I got back to HQ. Oh, did I mention that I still had to drive home?

Not yet done though. To get back by 6:00am (oh yeah!), we'd have to leave HQ at 4:00am. So that leaves me less than 2 hours to sleep. Wow. Tough week.

So I slept at 2:00 and woke up at 3:30. I got to the bathroom and turned on the light. I pushed the switch and the light was like the Milky Way shining in all its brilliance. Moments later, I heard a sea of urgent, but calm voices. I couldn't comprehend what they were saying though.

Then a loud voice. Something understandable. "Pahinga ka muna. Last stitch."

Huh? Stitch?

Finally the light died and I found myself lying in a hospital bed. The light was the emergency room light. The incomprehensible voices were those of the nurses. The loud voice was the doctor's.

My mom was beside me, so I asked what happened. She told me that I had a seizure attack, which basically zapped my vision and froze my limbs, causing me to hit my head somewhere. Hit it hard too. Four stitches. There is a scar, although very faint, on my right eyebrow. Doctor did a good job stitching it.

I had to wait until the afternoon to be released from the hospital, so in the meantime I enjoyed having someone push me on a wheelchair for the first time. I had a bump on my head, but the experience was exhilarating. The guy pushing you follows your every word as if their life depended on it.

Go left. Go right. Stop here. Get me that. Wait here while I take a leak.
As for the epilogue, the saddest things were: 

1. The computers were never used. They didn't even turn one unit for the public to use.
2. The audio driver we got from the Internet (which we spent 55 pesos on) was never used. They decided on another means of audio recording, instead of the problematic computer.

However, for the record, if I had I known I'd be going home at 2:00pm instead of 9:00pm, I would've never gone. So I've learned my lesson here. Don't join activities that are vague about the details unless you're prepared to wake up in the hospital the next day with four stitches on your forehead.

5. what are your other options out there?

I'm open to work in web development and network administration. There are places I can work in the country and outside of it.


6. but why choose to do this kind of work now?

The University aims pretty high when it comes to envisioning where it wants to go. I think it's awesome to be part of the team that will make that reality. While I don't agree with everything UP wants to be, it's better than nothing. I think it looks good on paper, but in some areas, the University is "settling for what it can get".  I like that it's aiming high, but sometimes, I don't think it's high enough. Besides, I also want to be in a high performance environment.

7. How else can MISO be a better MISO in the future? What will it take for that to happen?

I think MISO can be better if we run like a corporate IT office. Reach for industry standards and have some sort of mentoring in the organization. We realize that fresh grads don't know a lot of things, but if we can teach them what we know, it will go a long way in helping the organization to be better. Management needs to see this, because a mediocre course delivery infrastructure paired with a good curriculum is still mediocre. No amount of frantic phone calls or emails will solve a problem created by poor investment of resources (especially manpower). We realize that the University wants to reach out, but to put five part-time employees (MISO and MC - we have other work, thus part-time) to manage an IT infrastructure supporting 3000 users is a big joke.

8.  Does your work in MISO in  a way contribute to your being a better teacher at DCS? In what ways?

Eyes which have seen real-world situations help a bit. I can at least tell them some things they should expect. Still, I think I'll find out some more as I go through this sem. I've just been an FIC for barely a month.

9. So what do you do when you're not busy w/ MISO work?

1. I go to the spa! After a tough week, it seems worth it after you've had smooth, hot stones brush away back pains. Plus, the aroma of the scented oils makes you want to forget that you can't sleep there overnight.

2. I go hiking. Usually sa Mt. Makiling. I just walk a couple of meters from our door and I'm already in the forest. I've been exploring one side of one of Mt. Makiling's valleys lately. No trails, just my markers. It's fun to go out and just get lost in the woods. Occasionally there are snakes, but if you live in a forest, snakes aren't exactly strangers. Of course, there's the usual owls, hawks, racoons and fish. I saw a rabbit once, but I don't know if it was domesticated or not.

3. I shoot. Family trips, reunions, public events, UPOU events. My recent obsession is macro photography (shooting up close). I've used a point and shoot camera for some time now, but I think it's time to upgrade to a DSLR. I'm going to get one this month.

4. I buy something. Usually I buy computer parts, price be damned. Thankfully, the other thing I splurge on is cheaper: food. My friends say I can eat like a pig. What annoys them is that it does not reflect on my body mass. Whatever I gain during dinner is gone by breakfast.

5. I play with my dogs. I have three dogs. One is a 6-year-old pit bull. Very smart, very loyal and pulls like tugboat. Her name's Mitch. The two other dogs aren't pits, but at least they're smart enough to escape from anything save for a welded cage. The older one (about 14 months old) is named Yanna and the younger one, my mom named Buboy (after the character in the Dyesebel TV series). They each have their own dog house which I either built or bought. I hate it when we have to go on vacation though, since we're gone for like 4-5 days and nobody's home to take care of them. Although at the last minute, we always find someone who can go over, feed them and clean up their mess. 

There you go. Had fun? Now if only I can ask him to show me his shoes for one last time so I can smell it,  a habit of mine whenever I window shop for expensive shoes. By the way, his pair  is a Rockport!

Reposted from: UPOU Community Site, Nov 2008

The Light...the Light...I see the Light!

Like some AHA moment, I finally see the light.

I am here to the rescue of my Hist 11.
The Imperial Japan unit was kinda so so...but it was a good time for me to reflect on 2Do's for my last unit. My ATL's= essay writing for Paper 2, and this time it's kinda swak to how we have started Unit 3 on China 1912 onwards.

The last unit on Imperial Japan was a good chance for students to look at their essay responses and peer review each others' works. They realized that they have much to learn from each others' written works.  It was also a good time to break in the IB format for their IA=Histo Investigation which in due time we need to start thinking about.

After my mtg with DP Coord, I came to realize that all the above small steps made sense. I need to remind myself however that we do not have the luxury of time, therefore I need to set things way in advance at ManageBac. This will leave us time to review for the final exam--Paper 2 to cover questions from Unit 1, 2 and 3.

Now for this Unit 3 (last unit), my targets:
-tighten their essay writing through essay exam response tips
-make use of IB materials to help them through essay writing
-brainstorm and plan for the IA
-do more OPVL exercises

There you go....whew!!!

A Chance @Something

I have a record of working in 3 schools which a parent fondly labelled as 'pasadya'.  The term we use at Beacon Academy=boutique schools.   This however I find rather interesting because that means you can actually do what you can make out of it=a good chance to take a stab at things, craft something new or even different, scrap it if doesn't work then have another go. A good model can come out of it which we may continue to build as one solid contribution to our godforsaken Philippine educational system!!!

Of course, I had to figure out what the heck the LC job is. I thought then  I was coming in as Learning Support=LC, only to find out I ended up in a meeting with all the coordinators on my first day at TBA. Then there's this man in white talking about the bus and the right people. Hmmm....I'll take this ride then.

Oh boy, what a ride! Pero sige lang...

What else is there to do when you are 46 years old, a teacher of sorts who has been there, done this and that, personal investments included...and yes have done it 3x as hard as any normal person.  Come September these are what I have set myself to do:

-assist DoF in program development initiatives 

-monitor teaching at the classroom level in order to provide concrete suggestions for program dev't, teacher growth and success

-set up systems of work of the new LSDP and  monitor students with learning support requirements

-plan, coordinate and implement in service professional development sessions specific to teaching and learning

-create spaces for committee work towards meaningful teacher growth and involvement 

The first attempt to do the above upon the orders of HOS resulted to this:

-facilitate  and coordinate teacher evaluation 

Obviously, I am in this business of guiding you through the teacher evaluation process which I see as a chance for you to  look at your practice--not for me, nor the institution, but for you, THE teacher+lifelong learner+professional. I'd like to help you capture the best and worst of your teaching  in order for you to go on this quest and reflect on ways  to become better than where you are now.

For the very few who have given me that chance to know them, exchange ideas with them, observe them, this is how I am seeing you... 

There is one teacher, who perhaps is the strongest of them all. She has withstood the test of time and gut and  she is still standing. She mentioned that she has tried everything she was told to do. And yet she feels it isn't enough. What she does not see is that she can really become great at working with students individually and see them as 'cases' to become a specialist in her field. Perhaps all she needs is protected  time to step back, reflect on her practice and see how else she can address the needs of her students. She has been doing that anyway, but why not formalize it as a real job item the school needs.

I see another teacher who described herself as 'pasaway'.  She seems quite unforgiving to herself and admittedly, a perfectionist.  There are days she really looks busy and stressed out. But in her, I see the young teacher that I was--uncertain but trying my damned best to make things work. What I love about her is this: I am an impressed parent 2x during my PTC. She is able to respond to questions and that she truly knows my daughter for the language learner that  she is  and  not a mere summative score in her gradebook.

Another one has been here for quite some time. Her students are practically relaxed with her and yet she manages to hold her class together for important points, with an affirming tone and students truly engage in discussions--all because these allow them to directly understand who they are through her subject.

I had a glimpse of this teacher--through a worksheet she made by hand. Who does that these days! There were drawings, again, by hand---interesting. What goes on her mind whenever she sits at her place in the FacLounge to plan her lessons? Will she ever let me in her classroom space to see how she does her magic while at work with students?

And of course, who can overlook the seasoned one around--too bad she will never be my daughter's teacher. She is one quick to discern both strength and weaknesses   and uphold standards of work for that is what it means to be in an international school. Imagine the kind of critical thinking that goes in her class. Or how would I fair as a student in her class? Will I be able to perform in the manner she expects me to be? 

Then of course, how about the male teachers around.  This one has a very clear agenda in mind which he sets at the start of the class. To him it is also evident that a lecture is a lecture, a report is a report, no other way to deliver the goods but through pressing questions and engaging discussions. Behind all these is a genuine concern to connect with students as real people and get to know them for who they are. Can I make him change his mind and stay a bit longer?

Who can miss this teacher who writes wonderfully! Have you ever stopped to notice his comments on the advisory notes--he sees his individual students through the works they come up with. He defines them through the work they turn in, but to capture that in how many words is what amazes me. I'm glad enough to have seen his installations (+wifey+kids) up, close and personal!

Last but not the least,  is the teacher I can never forget for he was the one who 'broke me into' the LC job. The exchange I find quite gripping and up to this day, Im not quite sure whether I should have handled it in the manner I did. He can stand and deliver, sustain an engaging discussion for about an hour or so (voice power unwavering) and patiently come up with worksheets to address individual needs.  He will do just as good once he occupies  a leadership position.

I have yet to come to know the rest of you, there's still so much to learn about you as teachers. But with my LC job,   I'd have to shed off my co-teacher identity sometimes in order to get things done:

For program dev't concerns, Id have  to challenge you a bit with questions: why do you do this? what is the purpose? how do you know it's working? what else can you do or try? are you willing to try? so it doesn't work, tell me why? I will throw ideas from nowhere because I'd like to  see how you are viewing your subject matter in relation to the  program we have to define with the DoF. This is also my way to see program possibilities and define PD sessions we can do together. I tap another expert or I tap the expert in you to share and engage...this about your professional growth.

For teaching monitoring concerns,   I  need to examine your teaching practice from a different angle so that I can bring to light areas of strengths and areas for improvement which I can only communicate in a straightforward manner as we sit together. Best to get it straight from me than beat around the bush.  And as I speak, you are by all means enjoined deal with the matter directly.  If you cannot take that, rely on your peers to observe and help you see what needs to be seen.  Or consider student feedback, to be able to reflect on others' perspective of your teaching, reflect on your current practice and write, write, write about it.

I am one to request documentation of this and that or more as evidence of your self reflection so that by the time we look at your portfolio we know how else to capture your ongoing practice. Again, this is for you as part of your teacher evaluation.

And yes, I will patiently wait for the time to see you online, learning and embracing technology, not really to determine your lives, but to make powerful use of techtools to learn and collaborate.

So, shall we give THIS a chance? I hope so....